Like this:

Posts navigation

One comment on “Game Exchange: Learning More About Japan Though Gaming!”

Thanks to your… huh… “shirt” I can now know the Kanji for “Gaijin”. I mean, HOW COOL IS THAT?!? Also, talking about Kirby, I think you would be able to do a whole episode (if not a series of them) with only the enemies in the games. But then again, probably the same could be said about most Zelda games, Mario and… well, pretty much everything Nintendo.
For example, I am pretty sure that the tomatoes that Kirby loves so much (and restore him to full life) are inspired in Momotaro tomatoes (hence the M in the tomatoes). These are (if the internet isn’t lying to me) very appreciated in Japan as the tomato “par excellence” and they got their name from a hero in Japanese folklore.
Kirby aside, one thing I’d REALLY like to see you do (and I understand this might not be one of your areas, but still) would be analyzing some Pokémon / Digimon and compare them to their Japanese folklore inspirations. Some of them are really easy (like Ninetales / Kyubimon being inspired in… well, Kyubi the fox) but I’m sure you could find more intricate ones.
One I especially like is Rotom, a ghost pokémon from the latest generations. Why? Well, in Japanese culture there is a kind of Youkai called “Tsukumogami”. These are random objects that come to life: one of the most popular is the Karakasa, the animated one-eyed umbrella that also shows up in the Kirby franchise. Now, what does this have to do with Rotom? Simple: Rotom is a ghost/electric pokémon that possesses household appliances, like fridges, washing machines, fans… so he’s a Tsukumogami, right? Well…. he’s a very special one at that. From what I’ve read, Tsukumogami HATE electricity and no modern objects can become a Tsukumogami. Yet, Rotom throws that aspect out the window, since he’s an electric type to begin with… AND he possesses exclusively electric household appliances.
Just a little food for thought.